KKR team. Photo-IPL
KKR team. Photo-IPL

In the much-awaited first game of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025), defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be facing each other. The match is scheduled to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (March 22).

This is the first time since the inaugural season in 2008 that KKR and RCB will be playing the first game of the season. KKR had won that game with utmost ease thanks to Brendon McCullum’s iconic 158-run knock and will be hoping to win the upcoming game as well.

KKR are aiming to become only the third team after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to defend the IPL title. While they have lost the services of a number of key players from their title-winning squad, they have managed to bolster their squad by adding the likes of Quinton de Kock, Ajinkya Rahane, Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson.

On the other hand, RCB are eyeing their first-ever IPL title. The Bengaluru-based outfit has also named a new captain for this season, replacing Faf du Plessis with Rajat Patidar. RCB will be hoping that a change in captaincy finally changes their fortunes as well. Patidar was one of the standout performers with the bat for RCB last season and will be keen to give a good account of his leadership now.

KKR vs RCB Match preview and prediction – Match 1, IPL 2025:

KKR vs RCB Match Information:

Match KKR vs RCB, Match 1 IPL 2025
Date & Time 22 March 2025, 07:30 PM (IST)
Venue Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Tournament Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025)
Live Streaming and live telecast JioHotstar and Star Sports

KKR vs RCB: Pitch & Weather Report:

The pitch at the Eden Gardens is expected to be a belter and batsmen are likely to enjoy their time out there. In IPL 2024, batsmen were scoring runs for fun at the Eden Gardens. Teams posted 200-plus totals on a regular basis.

In fact, Punjab Kings chased down a world record total of 262 runs at the same venue. RCB had also given KKR a mighty scare while chasing 223 runs and eventually lost the game by just 1 run. The conditions are likely to remain similar this season as well.

The Eden Gardens track is expected to be flat and favour the batters. However, the fast-bowlers could get some good help in the upcoming game because of the prevailing weather conditions. It has been raining in Kolkata since Friday and the overcast conditions are likely to assist the pacers.

KKR vs RCB Weather Conditions:

  • 5-7 percent chance of rain during the game. While rain might play spoilsport during the game, it is highly unlikely that the entire game will be washed out.
  • Temperature during the game is expected to hover in the early 20s.

KKR vs RCB: Head-to-Head Record

KKR have maintained an upper hand in their rivalry against RCB. Both the teams have played 34 games against each other so far. Of those 34 games, KKR have won 20 matches while RCB have emerged victorious in 14.

Team Matches Played Matches Won Matches Lost
KKR 34 20 14
RCB 34 14 20

KKR vs RCB: Squads

KKR Squad:

Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Manish Pandey, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Mayank Markande, Chetan Sakariya, Luvnith Sisodia

RCB Squad:

Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Swapnil Singh, Lungi Ngidi, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Rasikh Dar Salam, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Bethell, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh

KKR vs RCB: Probable Playing XIs:

KKR Playing XI

  • Sunil Narine
  • Quinton de Kock (wk)
  • Ajinkya Rahane (c)
  • Angkrish Raghuvanshi
  • Venkatesh Iyer
  • Rinku Singh
  • Andre Russell
  • Ramandeep Singh
  • Harshit Rana
  • Varun Chakravarthy
  • Anrich Nortje

RCB Playing XI

  • Phil Salt
  • Virat Kohli
  • Devdutt Padikkal
  • Rajat Patidar (c)
  • Liam Livingstone
  • Jitesh Sharma (wk)
  • Tim David
  • Krunal Pandya
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar
  • Josh Hazlewood
  • Yash Dayal

Key Players to Watch:

KKR:

  • Sunil Narine
  • Quinton de Kock
  • Rinku Singh
  • Andre Russell
  • Varun Chakravarthy

RCB:

  • Phil Salt
  • Virat Kohli
  • Rajat Patidar
  • Tim David
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar

KKR vs RCB Best Batsman Prediction

Who will score the most runs for KKR in the match: Sunil Narine or Ajinkya Rahane

Who will score the most runs for RCB in the match: Virat Kohli or Rajat Patidar

KKR vs RCB Best Bowler Prediction

Who will pick the most wickets for KKR in the match: Varun Chakravarthy or Andre Russell

Who will pick the most wickets for RCB in the match: Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Josh Hazlewood

KKR vs RCB Match Prediction for Match 1, IPL 2025:

Reigning champions KKR will start the game as favourites and are expected to beat RCB in the first game of IPL 2025.